


Baby spiders, snakes, and squids.

by Freepoetynightmare



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Age Play Caregiver Morality | Patton Sanders, Age Play Little Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Age Play Little Deceit | Janus Sanders, Age Regression/De-Aging, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Little Remus, Other, agere
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:34:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25748230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freepoetynightmare/pseuds/Freepoetynightmare
Summary: Remus and Janus's secret of regressing comes out they work through their problems with Virgil leaving.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 164





	1. The squid

**Author's Note:**

  * For [arrestjellyfish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arrestjellyfish/gifts).



It was a shared secret. When Remus was regressed Janus would take care of him. When Janus was regressed Remus watched him. This arrangement worked for years. Ever since Virgil left, they took care of each other. Were there for each other. They had been there for Virgil too when he was there. 

That was until Janus gave them his name. Until he moved to the light side and left Remus alone. Remus waited for him to come back. For him to show up and give him a hug and tell him all about it. 

Instead he just left to help one day and didn’t come back. Just like Virgil. So Remus was alone. He had pushed off regressing for as long as he could but he could feel it creeping up on him. He wondered if Janus had someone to take care of him on the light side.

Despite the hurt of being left alone he really wished that Janus had someone. Unlike himself. Remus dropped harder than he ever had before and was more toddler than kid. This wasn’t good. 

“Dee!” He cried out sobbing.

There was no answer.

He cried harder and hid under his bed a stuffed snake he had stolen from Janus’s room hugged to his chest. He fell asleep after hours of crying alone.

\---

“I really should go check on Remus.” Janus said tightly.

“Don’t worry about him!” Patton said holding onto Janus’s arm. “He can handle himself!” 

That was mostly true but Janus still wanted to check on him. It had been weeks since the light sides had let him out of there sight for longer than a few minutes! Patton was firmly trying to make him feel, ‘at home’. Virgil was watching him like a hawk. Logan was interested in his behaviour and abilities. Roman was making sure he didn’t cross any more lines. 

He wanted to curl up and just sleep for a week. Preferably with Remus there to watch him. 

“I doubt it.” Janus said.

“Why are you so stubborn about going back?” Virgil said, suspicious. 

“Maybe because I care about family!” Janus snapped at him.

The tension in the room skyrocketed. Roman scoffed. He didn’t talk in front of Janus if he could help it. 

“We are your family now.” Patton said sadly.

Real family wouldn’t be breathing down his neck all the time! “So is Remus.” Janus said.

Logan sighed, “Just let him go.”

“You can’t be serious!” Virgil said.

“He isn’t a prisoner.” Logan said before looking towards Janus, “Just don’t bring Remus back with you.”

Janus nodded as he pulled away from Patton and left.

\---

“Remus?” Janus called. 

Everything was much too quiet. Was he sleeping?

He looked in Remus’s room and saw no one, he checked his room and found it ransacked. He checked the closet and under the bed before going to do the same for Remus’s room. 

“Oh.” He said finding a sleeping Duke curled up tightly with a snake in his arms. He had regressed harder enough to shrink down. Janus reached under the bed and pulled him out.

Remus stirred. He blinked up at Janus before bursting out in sobs and hugging his neck tightly. “Dee!” 

“Shhh. It’s ok little one.” Janus said guilt eating at him. “I’ve got you.” 

As Remus’s sobbing died down he fell asleep again. Janus felt Thomas call him. He bit his lip, he couldn’t leave Remus here like this. 

He rose up into his new room on the light side and tucked Remus into his bed. He locked the room so he couldn’t get out, then rose up into the real world.

\---

The debate was long, and pointless. In the end Janus was ready to drop but he shook it off. He had to be there for Remus right now. 

“Janus..” Janus frozen, his hand on his door knob.

“Yes Patton?” 

“I just wanted to apologize for smothering you.” Patton said. 

Janus nodded once. Patton stepped closer, “How is he?”

“What?”

“Remus. How is he?”

“Oh..He’s...fine.” Janus lied.

Patton frowned. “I didn’t even think about it but...he’s all alone now isn’t he?” 

“I’ll be there for him.” Janus said. 

Patton nodded and walked off. 

Janus stepped into the room and closed the door behind. Remus was still asleep. He sighed in relief. 

He crawled into bed and laid down on the edge of the bed to not disturb him and let his eyes drift closed. Just for a few minutes. 

Then he’ll get up and be fine.


	2. the snake

Janus woke up to a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked up at a young Remus. Wasn’t he supposed to be smaller than him right now? That thought was blurry and hard to think. 

“Dee!” Remus said, “You small too!” 

Janus blinked at him. Somewhere in his child brain he realized that this was a bad thing. Very very bad. So he did the only thing he could and he started to cry.

Someone opened his bedroom door. 

“What?”

\---

Logan was walking past Janus’s room when he heard...A baby crying? He knocked but got no other response than crying. He opened the door and froze.

Sitting on Janus’s bed were two toddlers. One clearly was Remus the other crying one was Janus.

“What?”

The crying stopped and Janus whimpered hiding behind Remus who held out his arm as if to block Logan from getting to Janus.

“Hey Logan did you hear...crying..” Patton said walking over. He looked at the children on the bed. 

“Hey there.” He said softly.

Remus looked back at Janus before shaking his head, “Go!” He demanded. Pointing.

Patton walked closer. “It’s ok. We aren’t going to hurt you.”

“Scaring him!” Remus said, turning to hug the snake side.

Janus peeked out at Patton and whimpered. He hid his face in Remus’s chest. Patton stopped unsure what to do. He looked to Logan.

Logan looked around. He spotted a stuffed snake on the ground by the bed. He walked over and picked it up. Both the littles shied away at him being so close but relaxed when he handed them the toy.

They hugged it between them.

“It’s going to be alright.” Logan said he had no idea if it would be ok or not.

“What’s going on?” Roman asked, peeking his head in. He saw the kids and frowned, “What happened to them?”

Remus blew a raspberry at his brother. “It’s secret!” 

“Well we need to know if we’re going to help.” Logan said gently.

Remus looked to Janus. Janus just looked confused. He didn’t know what to do. He should know what to do! This was his fault they were all here! He started crying again.

Patton couldn’t help himself. He picked both of them up. “Shhh. It’s ok.”  
Remus stared at him amazed. “Not mad?”

“No. I’m not mad.” Patton promised.

“Do you need help there?” Logan asked watching Patton struggle a bit to hold both of them at once. 

“Here.” Roman said, taking Remus. 

“DEE!” Remus reached for him. 

“It’s ok! We aren’t going anywhere!” Roman promised standing closer to Patton so Remus could grab Janus’s hand.

“What the hell?” Virgil yelled from the doorway.

“Virgil. Language.” Patton said. 

“What is this? Is that Remus?” Virgil asked, pointing. 

“It would appear so.” Logan said.

“What happened to them?” Virgil asked, walking into the room. As soon as Janus saw him getting close over Patton’s shoulder he started wailing. Remus looked at Virgil and glared at him.

“Go away!” Remus yelled at him. Virgil froze confused at the fear and hostility.

Logan was quick to step between Virgil and the littles, “Perhaps you should leave.”

Virgil stepped back shocked. “I didn’t do anything!” He protested.

“You’re scaring them!” Roman snapped. 

“I-”

“Virgil! Just..go.” Patton said.

Virgil looked at all of them before leaving the room. He hugged himself as soon as he was out of sight. What had he done that upset them so badly? He thought he was doing what they wanted! He groaned, of course he messed up! Again!

\---

Remus was running around with a fake sword trying to hit Roman’s legs as Janus sat on Patton’s lap watching and Laughing when Remus got a hit in. Logan was in his room researching what could be happening to them. 

Virgil hesitated before knocking on his door. 

“Come in.”

He stepped in. Logan glanced up before turning back to searching through papers on everything Thomas knew about children. “I’m a bit busy at the moment so make it quick.”

“I..I know what’s going on with them. I’ve just..never seen it like this before.” Virgil said.

Logan fixed him with a stare. “Explain.”

Virgil took a breath. They hated him anyway. It couldn’t hurt anymore to tell Logan what was going on. Besides he would have figured it out on his own anyway. “They age regress.” 

He almost said We but backed out in the last second. It felt wrong to keep that a secret while spilling theirs. But he wasn’t the one who got caught! Besides he didn't do it anymore...or at least tried not to. 

Logan blinked. He thought for a minute remembering everything he could about the subject. Then nodded to himself, “They’ve merely shifted to match their mental age.” He relaxed. 

“So they’ll be back to normal pretty soon.” Virgil said.

Logan nodded before he looked more closely at Virgil. “Was that all that you wanted to talk about?”

Virgil almost admitted that he regressed as well. But he shook his head and left. Careful to make sure he got to his room without running into anyone. He didn’t want to upset Janus or Remus more than he had already.

He sat on his bed and put his head in his hands. Janus’s words haunting him.

“Maybe because I care about family.” 

Virgil cared!...right? He just didn’t want anyone to get hurt. But he had hurt them. They hurt him first! They didn't want him around! If they choose to sulk about it now that was on them! Guilt ate at him again. He still couldn't do anything right!

And he had no idea how to fix it.


	3. the spider

Remus snapped out of it first. Almost immediately he took Janus from Patton and checked him over to make sure he was hurt. Patton was a little stung by that.

“Thanks.” Remus said, holding Janus to his chest. “I just.. I guess you have questions.”

“Virgil explained it.” Logan said. 

Remus’s face darkened. “Where is he anyway?”

“In his room. He didn’t want to upset you.” Roman said.

Remus laughed, “Bit too late for that.” He looked down at Janus. He handed him back to Janus. “I’ve got to go have a chat with the emo.”

“Don’t hurt him!” Patton called.

“I make no promises!” Remus called back.

They all looked at each other. “Roman could you?”

Roman nodded, “I’ll make sure they don’t kill each other.” 

He got to the door and was about to open it when he heard Virgil yell. 

“I don’t get it! You two wanted me gone! I did what you wanted!” He sounded close to tears.

“Of course we didn’t want you gone! You would have known that if you ever talked to us!” Remus yelled back.

“Oh don’t act like it isn’t true! I’m too much for you to handle! You said so yourself!” 

“How did you hear that?” 

“I’ve got good hearing.” Virgil snapped.

“If you had a problem with it then…” 

“I didn’t have a problem with anything! You two had a problem with me!” Virgil’s voice droped quieter, Roman had to press his ear to the door to hear what he said next. “I was too much. Too worried. Too in the way. So I left you guy just like you so clearly wanted so why are you mad at me?”

“We never wanted you to leave!” Remus said. “You over heard something I said when I wasn’t thinking!” 

“You never think do you?” 

“At least we have that in common!” 

Roman knocked on the door. Remus was the one to open it. “Couldn’t trust me to not hurt him?”

“Just making sure.” Roman said. He looked over Remus’s shoulder to see Virgil with his back to him, his shoulders shaking in silent sobs.

Remus stepped forward, backing roman back up. Remus closed the door behind him, “He needs space right now.”

“Are you sure?” Roman blurted out.

Remus opened his mouth before snapping it shut again. He sighed and walked away. Roman swore he heard him say I don’t know anymore.

Roman went to open the door and found it locked. He guessed Remus was right.

\---

Virgil didn’t come out of his room even after Janus was back to normal. Remus was invited to hang around, an offered he happily accepted.

Janus was upset about everyone knowing and even more so when he found out that Virgil told them. “I would have figured it out.” Logan said, “He just helped speed up the end result.”

He was also mad when Remus explained the reason that Virgil left was-

“Because of me. If I could just keep my big mouth shut he wouldn’t have-”

“It’s not your fault. He should have talked to us!” Janus snapped.

He hated to admit that his leaving made sense now. As well as the mildly hostile behavior. He thought that they were tired of him and thought that he was bothering them.

Of course he wouldn’t just talk about it!

Janus knocked on his door and got no response. “Virgil I know you can hear me. Open up before I have Remus break it down.”

It was another minute before the door unlocked and the door opened. Virgil didn’t mean Janus’s eyes, he looked at the ground. “Come in.”

Janus stepped inside and took a breath through his teeth. Virgil’s room was a wreck. The side himself looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks and was about to pass out at any moment.

“Why don’t we sit down?” Janus suggested his voice gently. Virgil flinched at that tone. 

Virgil sat down in the middle of his bed and pulled his knees up to his chest. Janus righted a chair and sat in it. “I heard about your argument with Remus..and that you told him.”

“Yeah.” Virgil muttered into his knees, closing his eyes. 

“Why on earth did you think that we didn’t want you around anymore?” Janus cried.

Virgil glanced at him before looking away. “I..I’m a lot. I know that.” His voice off. Janus frowned. 

“Are you...small right now?” He could not have this conversion if Virgil was little.

Virgil shook his head, “I don’t do that anymore.” He said.

Janus froze at the fact Virgil was telling the truth. “Virgil...that can’t be good for you!”

He remembered the few times Virgil had stopped regressing for months at a time and it messed with him badly.

“Sometimes I mess up but..I’ve been doing good!” He said firmly to the wall. “I’m not going to be a burden anymore.”

Had he really been beating himself up about this for years?!?! Janus stood up and walked over to him. Virgil turned his head away from Janus. 

“Please look at me.” Janus said softly.

Virgil slowly turned his head. Janus reached out, ignoring the flinch, and put his hand against Virgil’s cheek. “It’s ok. I’m here now.” He muttered.

Virgil’s eyes widened in panic as he realized that Janus was going to try to get him to regress. “No! I..I can’t!”

“Shhh. It’s ok. You can relax.” Janus said gently, pulling Virgil half into his lap.

Virgil didn’t pull away; he just shook his head. “No. No. NO!” Already halfway into little space. “I can’t fail!”

“Regressing isn’t failing.” Janus said firmly.

“But..I’m too much.” Virgil said in his little voice. 

“You are never too much.” 

“But Remus said!”

Janus cursed himself internally. How hard was it going to be to undo the years of damage Virgil had done to himself? Janus tightened his grip on the little. “Remus!” He called.

Remus stuck his head in. “What’s wrong?” He took in the scene. “Ah!”

“Remus doesn’t think you’re too much.” Looking to Remus for back up. Which Remus gave in the form of a quick. "yep!" 

“You’re lying!” Virgil yelled, “I’m bad! I hurt you before! I hurt you now!” 

Remus stared helpless at Janus neither had any clue at what to do now.


	4. Together again.

They ended up letting Patton handle it, who was surprised at Virgil regressing before he switched into dad mode and took care of him. Janus and Remus ended up in the kitchen with Logan.

“So you’ve never noticed him acting...childish?” Janus asked hoping that Maybe Virgil did get some help even if secretly. 

Logan shook his head, “He tends to spend a lot of time by himself. Sometimes it’s more than others.” 

Janus frowned, The Virgil he remembered was rather sociable. “In fact, he’s been around a lot more since you’ve been here.”

Keeping an eye on him. He believed that it had merely been a reaction to him insulting Roman. Now he wondered what else there was to it? Had he been waiting for Janus to confront him? Confirm everything he’s told himself over the years?

He seemed to have taken the, not being a burden too far by not even really connecting with the light sides. He’s built a barrier between himself and everyone else. Janus couldn’t stay mad at him for leaving, He’s already punished himself a thousand times over for a simple miscommunication. 

Remus was guilty over what he had said on an evening after Virgil had been at his worst. He had to watch him alone and he was big enough to admit that he needed help to watch Virgil next time. A time that never happened. 

Virigl had begun to pull away and within a couple of weeks he was gone with a simple note left behind saying that he was leaving. No explanation just..gone. He avoided any kind of contact that Janus and Remus had tried. So they gave up trying and got used to him being gone.

Was Virgil even used to being gone? He was so alone.

Patton came down the stairs and Janus and Remus stood up. “He’s asleep.” Patton said. 

Janus wanted to go up and see him. To be there when he woke up just like before. He started to but Remus held him back. “He needs space.”

“He’s had space! What he needs is family!” Janus snapped.

“He has that.” Patton said.

“Really?” Janus said, angry and lashing out. “Because it seems to me that you’ve left him alone since he got here!” 

“He asked for space. He isn’t a social person.” Logan said.

“He used to be!” Janus snapped. “I don’t know how this self imposed Isolation has affected him but it’s not healthy!”

“Dee calm down.” Remus said.

“I will not calm down! I can’t just stand here and...and…” He collapsed back into his chair, head in his hands. 

“Dee?” He looked up to see Virgil standing in the doorway awkwardly. Judging from his pose he was still little. 

“Virgil I-” 

“I’m sorry!” Virgil cried. 

Janus rushed over and hugged him. “No.no! No more being sorry! From any of us! We all messed up!...Now we just have to move on.” 

Virgil bit his lip and pulled back. “So...I’m not…”

“You aren’t a burden. Or a bother. Or anything else you’ve got running through your head.” Janus promised putting a hand against virgil’s cheek.

“Ok.” Virgil whispered.

\----

Virgil acted differently after that. He was more open and relaxed. His jokes were less defensive, and he spent a lot more time in the common area. Remus stuck around and never left, he’d crash in someone else’s room or on the couch. 

He wouldn’t get a room up there until Thomas accepted him instead of just ignoring him when he showed up. Remus swore he didn’t mind. 

After a little while they all trusted each other enough to regress again. 

So Remus and Roman made a pillow fort while Virgil helped Patton make the snacks. Janus picked out the movies with Logan. 

“I’m not sorry I left anymore.” Virgil whispered to Janus. “I mean..It led to this so..”

Janus nodded, “You don’t regret it.” 

“Yeah.” Virgil agrees nibbling on a cookie. They turned back to the movie. 

He wasn’t alone, he wasn’t a burden. He was with all of his family.

He was happy.


End file.
